Welcome to the web site for Oceanography 443, the three-credit course in which students design their own research projects to be carried out as part of the spring quarter class, Oceanography 444. This winter quarter will be spent critically examining relevant literature, selecting research problems, formulating hypotheses and identifying approaches to test these hypotheses. The class culminates in a written proposal justifying the research and specifying the requisite logistical steps to its successful completion. The projects are limited in scope by availability of shipboard and shore-based equipment and facilities, the class budget, and most importantly the limited amount of time available.

This year's research will be carried out through the inside passage of Patagonia in Chile. The cruise is tentatively scheduled for March 11-19 aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. Following the cruise, in spring quarter, the students will have approximately two and a half months to complete their analyses, write a paper in the format of the journal Limnology and Oceanography, and present their results at a public research symposium.

During winter quarter the students will be posting a variety of materials related to the progress of their proposal design. Many of the links on this page and others will not become active until later in the quarter; please check back frequently.